Search - Andrea Parker :: Kiss My Arp

Make the singing stop! Please!

Bryan O'Sullivan | CA, United States | 02/14/2001

(2 out of 5 stars)

"Oh my. This is a gloomy electro album, plodding in the steps of more talented predecessors like Portishead and Plastikman. But I don't much want to talk about the music, because it's really not interesting enough to be worth much comment. We are talking dull stuff, something for disaffected ravers who just can't let go of those repetitive beats.The real trouble with this album is Andrea Parker's voice. Again, in itself there's nothing especially offensive about it. It's pretty nondescript. If she were singing in the shower, nobody would take offense. EXCEPT. The woman absolutely drives me nuts by missing any and every note that's even a tiny stretch. She mercifully graces only a few of her tracks with her voice, and she sings flat on every single one.I'll admit that I am a musician, and maybe more sensitive than your average listener as a result, but Parker goes a good quarter tone below the fundamental all the frickin time, and it makes me want to kick, beat, tear at my stereo until it stops!If it weren't for the singing, I'd rate this album as a total non-event. As it is, it veers between invisibility and being wildly annoying. I'll give it an extra star simply because she doesn't sing on every track."

Some other level

Erica Anderson | Minneapolis, MN | 01/08/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I personally have to disagree with most of the reviewers here who thinks Andrea Parker's vocals are utter useless and takes away from the haunting melodies in the music. I enjoy Andrea's singing on "Kiss My Arp". She reminds me of the lead singers of Supreme Beings of Leisure, Olive, and Portishead. Andrea has that icy smooth, laid back quality that I love in trip hop music. I haven't heard of Andrea's work on DJ Kicks so I can't compare her work on "Kiss My Arp" to that cd. The production on "Kiss My Arp" is excellent especially on "Clutching At Straws", my favorite song off the album. I love the haunting melodies in the beginning. They just send chills down my spine. "Breaking the Code" is an interesting mish mash of sounds. The song itself sounds like it would be perfect for a science fiction soundtrack. The entire album in general is a mish mash of all sorts of bizarre noises and sounds. "Kiss My Arp" may not be one of my favorite cds in general but I like it enough to listen to on a regular basis. Andrea Parker reminds me like Aphex Twin, Portishead and DJ Shadow were cloned together and "Kiss My Arp" was the results."

Unorthodox behavior

loteq | Regensburg | 09/11/2000

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Andrea Parker, who is primarily known for her contribution to Studio K7's "DJ Kicks" series, delivers her first solo album with the help with producer David Morley. Together they have developed a style which reminds me of Autechre's more club-oriented material under the Gescom name, plus a few elements from other Warp artists and Morley's solo output (album: "Tilted"). Consequently, "KMA" mostly treads familiar territory and isn't particularly innovative; Complex, fractured rhythms, harsh bass lines, splinters of psychedelic melodies, and string arrangements are the features here, falling half-way between dancefloor material and equally pleasant home listening. Andrea packed all the strongest tracks into the first half of this 70-minute disc. "Breaking..", "Melodius thunk", and "In two minds" are experimental, mid-tempo techno numbers with a notable degree of complexity. "Some other level" with its keyboard drones and squeaks, and especially the 10-minute "Ballbreaker" have a more aggressive stance. The latter one starts with high-pitched crunches, but after three minutes or so, it begins to match its title with a series of brutal bass punches and metallic beats. The album's second half is much weaker, perking up only mildly with the bass-heavy "Going nowhere". The strings sound obtrusive and gratingly overblown on "Lost luggage" and "Return of..", while "Sneeze" and "Exclamation.." are too short and sketchy. This is not the best album Andrea will ever release, but I definitely recommend it to fans of the aforementioned artists."